Timeless
by RoswlFreak03
Summary: Logan prepares to open another chapter in his life, while trying to let Max go.
1. Default Chapter

Author: Caro  
Title: Timeless  
Rating: PG-13  
Disclaimer: Sad as it may be, I don't own a single thing :(   
Summary: Set many years after AJBAC, Logan is ready come to terms with Max's death  
  
Logan heard the ocean waves crashing against the rocky shore beneath him as he stood on top of the high cliff composed of tiny stones millions of years before. Tomorrow he would marry his beautiful fiancé Elizabeth. But even Logan knew that before he made that lifelong commitment, he needed to first let another loved one go...forever.   
  
He had waited 7 years after the fateful night when Max had died in his arms to propose to Elizabeth. She made him laugh and smile. Which was something he hadn't done since Max. Funny though, something in his heart still felt as if she were alive. He couldn't shake the feeling that somewhere out there, Max was alive. He had made up his mind the previous year that he wouldn't waste another day pining away for somebody who wasn't coming home, somebody who was never coming home.   
  
Sure Elizabeth wasn't Max, she could never be Max. But Logan loved her. She knew nothing of Manticore, and after Max's death, Logan never resumed his role as Eyes Only. He did however tell her about his legs, and how he needed the exoskeleton to walk. Elizabeth never gave it much though, it wasn't an issue to her. Logan's fortune did in fact remain. Stockholders in his uncle's company refused to let their fortunes go down the drain as well, and after months of court hearings, and fighting with the law, the shareholders and company workers won the right to keep the Cale business alive. And being a Cale, a check was still sent monthly to Logan's apartment.   
  
No longer living in Seattle, Logan and Elizabeth bought a luxurious apartment in northern California, a few miles from the ocean. Logan had said he wanted to get out of Seattle because of all the rain and because he needed a change. But those closest to him, besides Elizabeth, knew that he didn't want the constant memories of Max. Every time Logan would look at the space needle, he would picture Max sitting up there, thinking of the world and all of it's problems, wishing to be a normal girl. Logan neared tears just thinking of it, and since Elizabeth had most of her family in northern California, Logan agreed to move there, so she could be closer to them. One of Logan's favorite meditation spots was on this very ledge. His fear of heights had somehow dissolved, and instead of fearing the height, he embraced it. Somehow feeling closer to all his lost loves ones, namely, Max. But instead of contemplation today, he came for a final farewell.   
  
Logan stood holding a box, no bigger than a shoebox. The inside contained the last remnants of Max. An old T-shirt she once left as his Seattle apartment, a bottle of shampoo Logan bought her because she was using up all of his, and a picture Bling once snapped of them before either could object.   
  
"Well, here I am Max. I can't wait forever with this feeling in my heart that somewhere you're out there. I love Elizabeth, she's been my comfort and my strength since you left me." Logan opened the box and took a quick glance at the photo. "She's not you though. The love I feel...felt for you was something I can't even begin to describe. But Elizabeth is now apart of my life, and besides you, I can't imagine anyone else I'd rather spend the rest of my life with. I need to move on with my life, even if that includes letting you go. If I'm to fully give my heart to this woman, I need to give you up, I need to give the dream of us up." Logan's hands were slightly quivering as he continually clasped the box.  
  
The calm sound of the waves soothed Logan's nerves slightly as his fingers tightly grasped the edges of the box, and with all his strength, Logan threw the box over the side of the cliff. In those few brief seconds, as he watched all of the boxes contents fly out and slowly descend down into the rushing water, all of Max came back to him. Her voice, her smell, the way she looked at him when she was angry, the way her eyes looked at him in the candlelight.   
  
Since the night of her death, Logan had never cried over Max. The first few weeks after, all he felt was anger. He was mad at the world, at Manticore for doing this to Max, to him, and to the relationship they were just starting. Then afterwards it was just a general depression. It wasn't until almost a year that he started to improve and people noticed he began leaving his apartment more and going outside. But never did he cry during all those years, not a once.   
  
"Hey Logan" a voice called out to Logan, interrupting his thoughts.   
  
"Bling? I thought your flight wasn't until tomorrow morning?" Logan asked, walking over and shaking his best man's hand.   
  
Both men taking a seat on the hard rocks, Bling shook his head "I was actually able to catch an earlier one, so here I am. I stopped by your apartment quickly and Elizabeth was there, packing a few things before she headed over to her parent's house for the night. She told me that this is where you come most often when you need to be alone. Now tell me what's on your mind Logan, because those don't look like happy tears I saw you wipe away as I was walking up."  
  
Taking a quick glance at the current look in Logan's eyes, Bling didn't even need Logan to answer his question. "I should have know you'd be thinking of Max. On the phone however for awhile now you haven't mentioned her at all."   
  
"I have no reason to talk about her. It's not like there is any current news on her. She's dead, I have accepted it and moved on.   
  
Logan stared out at the water, thinking of all of Max's memories, just floating around in the cold water. "Truth be told, I haven't really thought about her that much lately. I've been so busy with the wedding preparations and all, that I haven't had time. Not that I want too, I mean, Max is apart of my past, and Elizabeth is my present and future. I'm just... I'm just still having a hard time letting Max go. I can't help but think of where we would be now if that night didn't happen."   
  
"Hey, you're not having doubts about getting married tomorrow are you? Because you do know it's natural to have pre-marital jitters." Bling was worried that his friend might go and do something stupid less than 24 hours before the wedding.   
  
Logan looked over at him. "You know, I have been married before. But no, it's not jitters. It's just this feeling I have that she's still out there. And I have this terrible fear that she's going to come back, and I will be a married man, with my wife and kids maybe, and I just won't know what to do."   
  
"It's been 8 years since then, I knew Max, and I knew her strength and will. If she were alive, she would have come back already. You're doing the right, healthy thing. You're moving on. Now come on, we can go get a few drinks before you need to get some rest for the big day."   
  
Smiling, Logan said "Yeah, you're right. But I just need...a moment, just a moment. To say goodbye."  
  
"Sure man, I'll be waiting on the street for you." Logan watched as Bling climbed down the rocky cliff, until he was sure Bling was gone.   
  
Logan stood at the very edge of the cliff, where if he moved even 5 inches, he would fall into the dark abyss below him. But he wasn't worried, he was confident that gravity was on his side. "I love you and I'll forever be grateful that you came crashing through my window that night. I will never regret any of the time we spent together, and you will eternally have a piece of my heart. I owe you my life in so many ways, and I know you never thought of yourself as a hero, but you were. You were my hero. You made me feel as nobody ever has. You accepted me for who I was, despite all of my flaws, you loved me. And each day I thank every higher power for that. But time has changed, not all for the better, but not all for the worse either. And tomorrow I'll give myself to Elizabeth. And I know, you're probably looking down on me thinking 'Logan Cale you're such a sap. Put up, or shut up and move on, don't waste tears on me.' And it comforts me to know that you're in a place where Manticore doesn't exist, and you don't have to hide anymore. You can get the rest you've so desperately earned. Good-bye Max."   
  
Wiping the fallen tears that were slowly dripping down his cheeks, he stepped backwards, and headed down the rocks, to where Bling would be waiting on the street. "You all set man?"  
  
"Yeah, I think I've just closed to book of Max for good. But I'll never forget her." Logan said, getting into Bling's rental car.   
  
Starting the engine up, Bling responded "I don't expect you too forget her. You guys had that whole love at first sight kind of love. Even if you never admitted it."   
  
"Maybe that's why I've had such a hard time forgetting her. I never got to say good-bye. I never got to tell her I loved her. There was never any closure to our relationship. All those wasted months of just hiding from the truth, when we could have been experiencing life...together."   
  
Bling quickly interrupted Logan's reminiscent thoughts. "Now listen, what's done is done. Thinking of it is not going to take you back in time to make up for all the things you want to do over again. Come on, I think I past a bar on my way to your house."   
  
"Yeah, that's probably "Riley's Bar" I've only been there once or twice since we've moved here though." Logan answered Bling.   
  
"Perfect, you can tell me all about the wedding details, and we can get you drunk hopefully as your last night as a free man." He and Logan both laughed as his last comment.   
  
The next morning Logan's stomach was completely tied in knots. "Why do I not remember being this nervous the first time I got married."   
  
"Maybe that was because when you were a young careless teenager." Jake commented as he walked into Logan's room to help him. Jake was Elizabeth's maid of honor's husband, and a good friend of Logan's as well. He was a natural funny guy. On some conversations he would have his wife, Elizabeth, and Logan completely in tears they were laughing so hard.   
  
Logan shot Jake a feigned hurt look. "I'll have you know I was 24 when I married Valerie."   
  
"And look how well that turned out." Jake said, rolling his eyes in good humor.   
  
"Valerie was one of the biggest mistakes of my life. I never should have married her. I never did get a good feeling about her, not like I felt about M-" Logan closed his mouth.   
  
"Who? Logan what were you going to say?" Jake probed him.   
  
Logan wracked his brain for an escape route. "I mean, not the way I feel about marrying Elizabeth."   
  
"Ah, ok, I see." Jake said just as he was picking off a few loose threads on Logan's tux. "There we go buddy. Now it looks like it's time to get you to the altar and make an honest man out of you."   
  
Logan looked at him for a moment "Oh, funny..."   
  
"Why thank you, by the way, have you seen Bling? I haven't seen him in awhile." Jake asked.   
  
Logan pointed toward the door. "He was helping me a little while ago, but went to make sure everything with Elizabeth and the bride's maid's were all set. I just think he got sick of hearing my nervous jitter talk."   
  
"I don't blame him...Well, let's go Cinderella." Jake said as he patted his friend on the back, and they both walked out of the groom's room and take their places at the alter.   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	2. Chapter 2

Author: Caro  
Title: Timeless  
Rating: PG-13  
Disclaimer: Sad as it may be, I don't own a single thing :(   
Summary: Set many years after AJBAC, Logan is ready come to terms with Max's death  
  
  
  
The ceremony had begun, and everything looked gorgeous. Bling who was standing diagonal to Logan, leaned over and asked him "Hey man, you ok?"   
  
"Yeah, I'm fine, I'm better than fine, I'm about to get married! Why do you ask...?" Logan saw Bling motion towards Logan's leg, which was tapping so tenaciously, it almost looked like he was going to run a hole through the floor. "Ok, so my case of pre-wedding jitters is starting up again... what's your point?"   
  
Bling leaned over and said to Jake "Starting up again? When did they leave?" Bling and Jake both snickered as Logan stared at them with cold eyes.   
  
Logan heard the wedding march begin, and his body stiffened. Luckily, he remembered to keep breathing.   
  
In Logan's eyes, Elizabeth couldn't have looked lovelier. And Elizabeth couldn't take her eyes off of her ruggedly handsome groom.   
  
As Elizabeth never took her eyes off of Logan's, Logan's eyes remained at the entrance to the isle, where Elizabeth had just emerged from, and to where the door to the church was.   
  
Not understanding why Logan wasn't looking at her, she quietly asked him, as the wedding march ended, and she idly took his hand. "Logan, what's the matter?"   
  
Still Logan's eyes would not meet hers. They were fixated on something else.   
  
"Guess my invitation got lost in the mail." The crowd of wedding guests all turned around in one great motion to look at the mysterious figure who spoke.   
  
Bling exhaled loudly. "Oh good lord..."   
  
Jake leaned in towards Bling and whispered. "Who's in the wide world is that great beauty?"   
  
"That is the reason this wedding won't happen today, if ever." Bling answered, afraid to look at Logan.   
  
Logan just stood motionless. It was as if his feet had been cemented to the ground, and he had been paralyzed from the neck down. He blinked several times, checking to make sure this wasn't all some big dream. "Max..." Logan gulped and took one step towards her, but Elizabeth stepped in.   
  
"Logan, honey. Who is this girl, and why is she here?" Elizabeth tried to understand, and she didn't want the hatred in her eyes to show. How much she hated this woman, who walked into this room, and it was almost as if she could see Logan's love and passion for this woman. He had never looked at her this way.   
  
Taking one look at his bride, all Logan could say was "I'm so sorry."   
  
Max, however was already halfway down the church stairs when Logan caught up with her. "Please don't make this harder than it is."   
  
"Max, is it... is it really you?" Logan took in the changes of her. Her hair had grown considerably long. She was much thinner than she was when he had last seen her, making her just skin and bones pretty much. She had minor cuts and bruises scatter on her arm, and one deep gash on her cheek.   
  
"Logan, go back and get married." Max said, as if it were an order.   
  
Logan was utterly confused. "Go back and get married? After seeing you again, after so many years. What the hell were you thinking, coming in, during the middle of my wedding! And then asking me to go back?"   
  
Max's eyes softened, and her body relaxed. "I just wanted to see you. Just for a moment. I wanted to know that you were ok. You don't know what I went through! What Manticore put me through! I went through hell and back to get to you. All those years! I spent timeless hours thinking of you! And I hated it. I hated that when I should have been concentrating on fighting Manticore, and trying to figure out how to get out, my thoughts were on you. What you were doing, how you were. But most of all, if you had moved on. But it looks as if my worst fears have been realized. And I accept it, I guess I have to accept it! So before you make this any harder on yourself, and myself. Please, just go in there and marry her."   
  
Logan easily saw the tears brewing on Max's eyes. He also saw her trying to fight them away. "You'll never know will you. You'll never understand how much I loved you, how much I still love you. Seven long years I grieved for you. I thought you were dead. I couldn't live the rest of my life, with the memory of you. I needed to move on, and I did. I love Elizabeth, so much. But she'll never compare to you, or what you and I had."   
  
"I'm glad that you moved on. Really, I am. Unfortunately, I don't have that luxury. It's not everyday you find a guy whose willing to fall in love with a genetically enhanced killing machine. Sure, every few times a month I'm great for sex, but you know, after that, I'm really no use to anyone. So, if it's ok by you, I think I'm just going to go. I've already caused enough pain in your life. Please Logan, just marry her, and give 'us' the closure that it needed." Max couldn't stop the tears that now flowed freely down her face.   
  
As Max started to walk towards the street, Logan held out his hand and grabbed onto her arm. "Max, please don't leave." Logan begged.   
  
Max released her grip from Logan. "Just leave me be!" She hollered as she ran out into the street. Not even thinking of where she was going, not even caring.   
  
Neither Max, nor Logan saw the car coming until it was too late...   
  
"Max!" Logan screamed as the cars in the street screeched to a halt.   
  
"Oh no..." Was the only thing that escaped Logan's lips.   
  
  
...To Be Continued... :-D   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	3. Chapter 3: The Ending

  
  
  
  
Ten minutes after the accident had occurred, police cars swarmed the area, while the ambulance waited for Max's unconscious body to be place in it.   
Logan, all decked out in his tuxedo was trying to answer all the cop's questions, but everything was just too surreal, and the accident had just happened so quickly.   
  
Elizabeth stood right by Logan's side, hanging onto his arm. Right now she didn't know who she hated more, Logan for leaving her at the altar for another woman, or herself, for not seeing the signs before hand. Logan never talked of any of his past girlfriends. He rarely ever talked about life before they had met. Around the same time each year, he would get into these moods. Where he would just seemed so sad. Nothing Elizabeth said or did made him feel any happier. She just usually past if off as stress, and within a day or two, he would be back to his normal self again.   
  
And finally all the puzzle pieces had come together. Max was the reason for Logan's entire odd behavior. Elizabeth didn't know what had happened between the two, but guessed it was something tragic. She couldn't be mad at Logan now, angry and upset would come later. Right now, she needed to be there to comfort him, even if it was over his old flame.  
  
"I...I don't know! It just all happened so quickly! She was upset and ran off, I tried to stop her from going, but she released herself from my grasp and ran off into the street." Logan spoke hastily, trying to recollect his thoughts.   
  
In the mean time, Jake, Bling, and the maid of honor all were explaining things the best they could to the guests. Jake did most of the talking, he was good at speaking in impossible situations.   
  
Later that night, Logan, Bling, and Elizabeth all waited in the emergency room. Logan had to go on and explain about Max's 'birth defect' in which her blood was, special. Bling overheard the entire conversation, and didn't understand a thing of all of Logan's medical jargon. But after awhile, the doctors seemed to have bought it.   
  
When Logan came back over to the waiting area, Bling was the first to ask "Any change yet?"   
  
"No, she's still unconscious. But they said her breathing was beginning to stabilize. And if she can wake up before tommorow, there's a good chance there will be no brain damage. But it all depends on when her tests come back, and when she wakes up." Logan stifled and looked in the direction where he knew Max's room was.   
  
Bling put a hand on his friend's should as Elizabeth clasped Logan's hand.   
"You two must have been... really close." She said, as she tried to read what was going on inside Logan's head.   
  
Bling took this as his cue to leave, he knew Elizabeth and Logan needed to talk and sort things out. "Well kids, I better call Jake and see if he got all the wedding guests out of the church, and make sure everything went ok."   
  
Elizabeth place a hand on Logan's cheek and slid it down. But Logan didn't even flinch. "Please Logan, talk to me."   
  
"Me and Max, we're complicated. The thing you need to know is, I haven't seen her for over 7 years. She died in my arms one night, gunshot wound straight through the heart. She died, right there. And I don't know what happened after. I don't know how she got better. She had no pulse when I last saw her, her eyes rolled up into her head, and she sank, lifeless in my arms. And I guess I never really got over it, over her." Logan wasn't crying however, he just stared out into space, and talked.   
  
"I see. But you love her?" Fearing for the worst, Elizabeth thought she might as well put it out there.   
  
Logan kept the same look in his eyes, and still didn't move at all. "I did love her. I guess I still do. It's just been, too long, and things have just happened too fast. And, I don't know." For the first time since they arrived at the hospital, Logan sat up straight and grabbed Elizabeth's hand. "None of this changes how I feel about you though. I still love you. I just need some time to think everything through, but my feelings for you still haven't changed."   
  
He reached up and wiped a single tear off of her cheek. "I understand" Was all Elizabeth could say, before a nurse walked into the area.   
  
"Mr. Cale?" The woman asked.   
  
Quickly looking over at her he said, "Yes? Is it Max? Did something change?"  
  
"Indeed it did. She has just woken up. The doctor figured since you're the closest one here to her, you should go in first to see her."   
  
Logan gave Elizabeth a quick glance, she squeezed his hand, before releasing it from her grasp. "Go see her." Logan smiled weakly at her, before following the nurse down the hallway.   
  
"Logan" Max's voice crackled as she talked. "What are you doing here?"   
  
"I can to see you, somebody had to save your ass, and make up an excuse to tell the doctors about your abnormalities." Logan smiled as he saw Max lightly laugh. He couldn't help but notice how weak and...human she looked.  
  
Her look quickly turned sullen. "You shouldn't be here though. You should be on your honeymoon. This is why I hesitated coming back, no matter what I do, or where I go, I manage to screw things up." Max coughed a little after she spoke.  
  
Logan tilted her chin so her eyes would meet his. "Max, look at me. I am here on my own free will. I care about you, I've never stopped caring about you. I talked to Elizabeth, and she understands. Besides, seeing you again has made me forget all of the reasons I wanted to marry her." Logan broke eye contact with her and look down at his feet.   
  
"Logan, please don't talk like that." Max's sudden words caused Logan to pick his head back up. "I'm not going to make it."   
  
Staring in disbelief Logan said "Come on, let's be realistic. You're a genetically enhanced human. You're telling me, that after all the battles you've fought, after all the crooks and rivals you've defeated, you're not going to make it through one automobile collision?"   
  
"I just don't have it in me. I've beat Manticore twice, I've struggled all throughout my life. I can just feel it, my mind and body can't fight it anymore." Tears began coming down her face. "Please Logan, listen to me. You have no idea how much I love you, how much you mean to me. I thank God everyday that I robbed your apartment that night. Because you became the world to me. You started off as my friend, then you became my confidant, then with all that trust and friendship, it just grew into an unspoken love. All the times I was too scared to admit it to myself, and to you. Maybe things would have been different, then again, maybe I would have still ended up here." Max stopped talking long enough to take a good look at Logan, and she could see the water around his eyes begin to well up.   
  
"Max, please, can't you fight it, just one last time? I don't think I could lose you again, it was hard enough the first time." Logan gulped in air as he waited for her response.   
  
Max began to cough violently this time. Logan saw how the light and radiance that once resided in her eyes all those years ago, was now gone. Deep down, he knew Max was telling the truth.   
  
"No, I'll be fine. Maybe there's even a Manticore heaven up there, where I can be with all my departed brothers and sisters. You never know. Don't think that I've completely gone though. I'll always have my eyes on you, even from the great beyond. You're the one true love of my life, and not even death can take that away from me. But, I know you're going to be fine. You have a fiancé out there, who loves you. And you will go on to be married. Because, let's face it. You'd be a great husband and a father. You're one of the good ones. Good-bye Logan Cale, protector of the downtrodden, blah, blah, woof, woof, isn't that right?" Max smiled meekly.   
  
Logan smiled as well, as the memory of one of their conversations all those years ago. "Yeah, you remembered." Logan stopped a beat, before proceeding. "I love you so much. I never stopped. You've always been in my heart. You will forever be in my heart."   
  
Max closed her eyes and felt Logan press his lips against hers, both were salty from their teardrops. Max opened her eyes one last time and looked at Logan, who was holding her left hand between both of his. She smiled as she drew in her last breath of air.   
  
Suddenly, Logan felt the grasp of her hand go limp. He released one of his hands and placed it over his mouth while he sobbed over Max's deceased body.   
  
Elizabeth entered the room to console Logan. He stood up and wrapped his arms around her. The steady, non-stopping 'beep' from the heart monitor proved to her the reason why Logan was in such tears.   
  
Within a few minutes, doctors and nurses had rushed in, wanting to put her on a life support machine. But Logan fought against it. He knew Max was in a better place now, a place where she didn't have to run and hide anymore. Oddly enough, that was comfort enough for Logan, just to know that Max was in a safe place.   
  
  
The End  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



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